On February 14, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) plans to launch the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF), which will help prevent foreclosure and displacements of homeowners due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Homeowner Assistance Fund, established under section 3206 of the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) and administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, allocated $242.8 million to Michigan to mitigate hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic by providing funds to address:
- homeowner mortgage delinquencies
- defaults
- foreclosure
- loss of utilities or home energy services
- displacements of homeowners experiencing financial hardship on or after January 21, 2020
- homeowners who experience a coronavirus pandemic financial hardship that began before January 21, 2020 but continued after that date.
MSHDA’s online and mobile application portal will be live this Monday, February 14. Applicants will be able to apply and submit required documentation through the web-based application or may be assisted by a third-party counseling agency or legal aid office. MSHDA also is partnering with Michigan 2-1-1, a nonprofit organization, to serve as a statewide call center to answer questions, provide program details and help homeowners with application submissions.
Funds can provide homeowners relief from the following:
- Delinquent mortgage/housing expenses, escrow shortages, and corporate advances
- Delinquent land contract payments, mobile home consumer loan payments or contracted park lot payments
- Property taxes
- Condominium/homeowners’ association fees
- Homeowner’s insurances, hazard, flood, or mortgage insurance
- Utilities, gas, electric, water, sewer
- Internet broadband services
The attached MIHAF Marketing Toolkit is also available to help organizations inform and engage eligible homeowners. This toolkit includes flyers, FAQ information, social media content for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, along with other resources for effective marketing campaigns to reach those in need. Additional program details and updates can be found at Michigan.gov/MIHAF.